Welcome to Frugal with a Flourish!

Enjoy your time here! Don't miss a post by getting email updates any time there is something new. You can also get updates through Google Friend Connect or follow me on Facebook or Twitter to get the latest info and see all the things that inspire me!

We will get to this project in a sec – but first, I want to explain how we got there! The hubby has been wanting new speakers for awhile. Since we got married actually. And he finally found a great deal, so we got them. Now with his speakers came something called a center channel. That is the small long speaker that sits in the middle – and it is where the majority of your vocals comes from when you run 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound. (Obviously – I am not a speaker expert here so we will leave my explanation of sound at that.) We had a center channel set up in our old house on a shelf I bought from Target and we were going to use the same thing. Then the speakers got here. The new fancy center channel was WAY too deep to fit on the shelf.

So now we had to come up with a different solution. Hubby called me to meet him at Home Depot after work to look at some pre-made shelving options. However, when I got there – he had come up with a different idea. He decided to take a stair riser (which already has a fancy bull nose edge) and two wood brackets and make our own. (Have I mentioned that I love this man!) See below for the project pieces – total cost was about $30 – the stair was $9 and the each of the brackets were about $10 a piece.

We measured for the shelf in the living room and then Hubby started assembling the shelf. Please excuse our mess of a garage. That is another project that we are working on finishing.

We decided to stain the shelf Minwax’s Stain and Poly in one in Bombay Mahogany. Here it is with the first coat on – so pretty! I love this color!

So here was our TV area before the shelf went up. Sorry for the picture – not a great one – but you can see the new center channel sitting there on the console on the right side of the TV.

Now here is the space with our new shelf! (And the hubby’s beautiful new center channel!)

I just love it! I think the stain came out BEAUTIFUL! The console is actually that same color – just a smidge darker. I thought about giving it another coat – but was afraid it wouldn’t look right.

Of course I claimed all space that was not occupied by the speaker in the name of Jess and gussied it up a bit! It is kinda like having a mantel! I get to participate in mantle parties now!! Hooray!!

Now I do have a question for you guys! Do you think I should hang a sign of some sort below the shelf? See doctored example below of “HOME” in the space.

I am not sure if it works … or if it just becomes too cluttered. What do you think?

That is awesome, and I never would have thought stair tread. You know my thoughts on the whole decorating around the tv(uh, do you have jerseys???) I love the vignette(you go girl!) and the stain color is great!

Looks great, Jess. We've done the same thing in our house. I think a sign below the shelf might be too much. Do you think you'd be able to see it over the TV from the seating areas? If not, how about putting it over the shelf, centered between the ceiling line and the top of the speaker?

You did an amazing job with that! I'll spray paint anything that stands still but stain still scares me. I'm jealous that I still can't participate in mantle parties...one day maybe. I really like the look of the sign below the shelf, looks more complete...finished. Nice job!

Looks wonderful Jess! What a smart hubby you have. I love how the TV almost looks like it's in a built-in. The shelf really adds to the drama of the wall and brings the look together. I like the idea of "home" or something like it. There are some really adorable ones out there that are removable if you want to change your decor for a season. It would look really great in iron or wood. I can't wait to see what you come up with for mantle parties and such! :) Isn't it so fun to have another area to play with!?!

It not only works but I think it is perfect, it oveall vanishes the emptiness feeling on the wall. The way you decorate the shelf is beautiful, less is more and you prove it... very lovely.I would love if you peek on to my new little post..Lovehttp://craftaworld.blogspot.com/

Love what you did, and the word under the shelf is a great idea, I think it finishes it off.

Post a Comment

Your comments mean the world to me - so please leave one! It makes my day! I read and try to respond to each one! Didn't get a response? Check out my tips here to link your email and blog back to your profile.

Resources with Flourish

About Me

Hi! I'm Jess! An obsessed decorating and shopping fiend, I love a good deal. I live outside “Nashvegas” with my hubby and three bossy cats. While I spend my days as a drone in the corporate world – what inspires me to pull through it all is posted here! Learn more about me and my quest to add flourish to my home without breaking the bank!